Delete search term

To content

Main navigation

Zurich University
of Applied Sciences

Service navigation

Food-Energy-wAter-healTh innovations for sustainable development in AFRICA (FEAT4AFRICA)

Description

FEAT4AFRICA aims to strengthen food and nutrition security (FNS) in African urban areas by integrating innovative agri-food technologies within a Living Lab (LL) network that facilitates adoption, diffusion, and social acceptance.

The project seeks to improve urban food literacy, enabling citizens to make informed choices that benefit their health, environment, and communities. Low-cost, soilless, and solar-powered food production systems, such as hydroponics, bioponics, aquaponics, and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), will be introduced to strengthen the Food-Water-Energy-Health Nexus and promote sustainable livelihoods with reduced environmental impact.

FEAT4AFRICA places a strong focus on empowering vulnerable groups, particularly women and youth, to engage in urban agri-food value chains that support resilient and transformative food systems. Its transdisciplinary approach spans social sciences, economics, natural sciences, engineering, and civil society participation, emphasizing stakeholder-led co-creation.

Through circular agri-food practices and new business models, the project will foster inclusive and sustainable urban food systems across four LLs and two case studies in all five African regions.

Key data

Projectlead

Deputy Projectlead

Project team

Stéphanie Ruch, Prof. Dr. Ranka Junge, Nathalie Pfister, Luca Regazzoni, Dr. Dominik Refardt, Dr. Emmanuel Benjamin (AGLOBE Development Center), Prof. Dr. Eugene Chigbu (Namibia University of Science and Technology), Prof. Dr. Eugénie Kayitesi (University of Pretoria), Dr. Fikremariam Geda (Jimma University), Prof. Dr. Gertrud Buchenrieder (Universität der Bundeswehr München)

Project partners

AGLOBE Development Center; Namibia University of Science and Technology / Department of Civil, Mining and Process Engineering; University of Pretoria; Jimma University; Universität der Bundeswehr München

Project status

ongoing, started 03/2026

Institute/Centre

Institute of Natural Resource Sciences (IUNR)

Funding partner

SNF Africa Regional / Belmont Forum

Privacy Settings

Here we show you which services may run on our website. You decide for yourself which services we may use. You can find more information in our privacy notice.

Our website needs these cookies so that everything works properly. These cookies are created automatically when you are active on the site – for example, when you change privacy settings or fill in forms. You can block these cookies in your browser or set it to warn you about them, but some parts of the website will then no longer display correctly. These cookies do not store any of your personal data.

These services allow us to see how our website is used, but we do not know who you are. By activating these services, you help us make the website better for everyone.